I discovered Starless and Bible Black yesterday. Yes, they share a name with a King Crimson album. Which is why I initially had a listen. But there a whole of Fairport Convention/Pentangle influences kicking around. Great stuff. I’ll have to keep an eye out for any gigs in Scotland🙂

From the band’s website:

2009 sees the release of their second long-player, “Shape Of The Shape” – an album which brings together the sounds of Topanga Canyon country rock, Manchester guitar jangle and outer-space psychedelic drones. Gone are the dulcimers and banjos of the first album, replaced instead by a harder wall of Telecaster and Moog and sitting in the centre of this bold, widescreen sound resides the pure and husky voice of their chanteuse, Helene Gautier.

Recorded at Bryn Derwen in the wilds of the Snowdonian mountains and during all-night sessions in the relative tranquility of their local village hall, “Shape Of The Shape” is an album of contrasting styles, themes and approaches that coheres beautifully into a seamless whole. From sweltering swamp rock to gothic bluesy chanson via unplugged rustic balladry, a jazz-folk tinged instrumental and a sprawling nine-minute psych-choral drone opus the album traverses many different takes on the genre but never loses sight of the importance of a classic tune.